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Wolfgang Petersen Biography

Birth Name:Wolfgang Petersen

Birth Place:Emden, Germany

Profession Director, Producer, Writer, Actor

Fast Facts

Won the Director of the Year Award at the 2001 ShoWest Convention
Studied theater in Berlin and Hamburg and attended the Film and Television Academy in Berlin
Has directed, written and produced a number of films dealing with the themes of war, most notably his World War II U-boat epic "Das Boot․"
Has directed a number of suspense thrillers and action movies
Directed a film about homosexual love in 1977 that, at the time, was so controversial that the Bavarian network turned off its transmitters so that it wouldn't have to broadcast the film
Filmed "Das Boot" in chronological order over the course of two years in order to let the actors grow beards at a natural rate, and in order to ensure the pallor of their skin, he forbid the actors to go out into the sunlight until filming was over

1974Film Award in Gold-Best New Direction (Beste Nachwuchsregie): winner
1978Gold Hugo-Best Feature: nominated
1982Bavarian Film Award-Best Director (Regiepreis): winner
1982Jupiter Award-Best International Film: nominated
1983Oscar-Best Director: nominated
1983Oscar-Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium: nominated
1983BAFTA Film Award-Best Foreign Language Film: nominated
1983DGA Award-Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures: nominated
1984Bambi-Film - National: winner
1985International Fantasy Film Award-Best Film: nominated
1985Jupiter Award-Best International Film: nominated
1986Antennae II Award-: winner
1986C.S.T. Award-: winner
1986Grand Prize-: nominated
1986Hugo-Best Dramatic Presentation: nominated
1986Jupiter Award-Best International Film: nominated
1991Critics Award-: nominated
1995Bambi-Film - International: winner
1996Golden Rooster-Best Foreign Language Film: nominated
1997Bambi-Direction: winner
2007Golden Camera-25th Anniversary Camera: winner